kent place names - e

Easole Street first appeared in the records in 824 as Oesewalum, which probably indicated ridges associated with a god or gods from the Old English es ridges, banks and walu gods. The Street was a later addition.

East Barming is one of Kents mystery names. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Bermelinge, but where this name came from, and what it means, are still uncertain.

Eastchurch, amazingly enough, refers to an east church, from the Old English east and cirice. Its roots can be seen in its earliest recorded spelling, Eastcyrce, from around 1100.

Eastling has nothing to do with east as a direction. Etymologically, the town was originally associated with the family or followers of Esla, whoever Esla may have been, the -ing element representing Old English ingas family, followers. The town first appeared on record as Eslinges in the Domesday Book.

Eastry is toponymically the eastern region, and it is first mentioned in the ninth century as Eastorege. The derivation is the Old English eastor eastern and ge district, region.

Edenbridge which gave its name to the River Eden, and not the other way round is first recorded as Eadelmesbregge in about 1100. Its true derivation seems to be eponymic, so that the town is literally Eadhelms bridge, the root being Old English brycg bridge.

The village of Egerton probably traces its name to an Old English personal name, Ecgheard, and was recorded as early as 1100. The name was not uncommon, and there is still an Egerton Green in Cheshire, though one assumes this was the homestead of a different Ecgheard.

The animal one would expect to find in abundance at Elham, from its name, is the eel, for it is the Old English æl eel that gave the town its name. Here it is combined with ham homestead, village. The first appearance on record is in the Domesday Book, as Alham.

Elmsted is a homestead by the elm-trees. The roots are Old English elm and ham-stede homestead, and the full derivation is slightly clearer in its first recorded spelling of Elmanstede in 811.

Unlike Elmsted, Elmstone has no connection with elms, nor indeed with stones. In fact it is an eponym, as can be seen better in the form Ailmereston, which was the first recorded form of the town in 1203. The last element is Old English tun village, farmstead, and the underlying sense is of Æthelmærs village.

Ewell Minnis started off as simply Ewell or, in its first recorded form of 772, Æwille. The name comes from Old English æwell, which indicated the source of a river. Minnis is a later addition and comes from a word for common land, mænnes.

Eynsford is first mentioned in writing in 864, as Egenes homme. The derivation is unclear, but one possibility is that it represents Ægens river-meadow, from the Old English hamm river-meadow, enclosure.
Bob Ogley takes us on a historical journey round Eynesford